Villagarzón, Colombia — Colombian Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez has insisted that his country is “absolutely committed” to combatting drug trafficking, as the United States mulls whether to blacklist the country for failing to curb cocaine exports.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration is to decide by Sept. 15 whether to decertify Colombia as an ally in the battle against drugs.

At risk is nearly half a billion dollars in U.S. funding to combat cartels and left-wing guerrillas funded by cocaine trafficking.

The decision looms in the midst of a major U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean, part of Trump’s war on cartels, which saw U.S. forces blow up a suspected Venezuelan drug boat with 11 people on board.

Sanchez told AFP that the U.S. certification was “a symbol of cooperatio

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